B.C. sends 267 firefighters to help battle Alberta wildfires

More than 250 B.C. firefighters and staff are headed to Alberta to help with the out-of-control wildfires ravaging the province.

The province said 230 firefighters, a 19-person incident management team, 14 supervisors and three agency representatives are headed east on Wednesday and Thursday.

The request, which was made through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, could leave the B.C. crews in Alberta for up to 19 days, although the province says there are enough in B.C. to keep fires here at home under control.

There are currently five out of control wildfires in Alberta, one of which started in the last 24 hours. So far to date, there have been 443, up from an annual average of 432 in the last five years.

A northern Alberta wildfire has seen 5,000 people cleared out of High Level and nearby First Nations, as flames lick at the southern edge of the community, located about 750 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

Official reports said flames were within three kilometres of the town.

In B.C., there have been seven new fires started in the past week and 40 burning overall.

An update from the Provincial Operations Centre on the wildfires in NW Alberta, particularly around High Level.

We will ensure that all resources necessary are made available to control the fires, with a priority on public safety. pic.twitter.com/mpsBpexA8Y